The Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group (BAT-IG) has described the “Spirit of Asiwaju” as a combination of resilience, courage, visionary leadership, reform, forgiveness and mentorship associated with President Bola Tinubu.

The group’s Convener, Bamidele Atoyebi, stated this in a piece titled “Expounding Insight into ‘The Spirit of Asiwaju’ by BAT Ideological Group,” explaining the philosophy behind the organisation and its objective of developing leaders who share Tinubu’s political ideals.

Atoyebi said the group was established to raise men and women capable of embodying what he described as Tinubu’s political spirit and applying its principles to governance and national development.

He cited Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State governor as an example of the philosophy, highlighting the creation of 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), infrastructure development and efforts to expand the state’s internally generated revenue.

He said Lagos’ monthly internally generated revenue rose from about ₦600 million to ₦92 billion during Tinubu’s period of political influence in the state and has since grown to about ₦1.17 trillion.

Atoyebi also linked the “Spirit of Asiwaju” to Tinubu’s willingness to implement difficult economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy at the beginning of his administration.

He argued that subsidy had placed pressure on government finances and limited resources available for development, adding that the philosophy also includes the introduction of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and tax reforms aimed at expanding access to education and strengthening government revenue.

The BAT-IG Convener further described the spirit as one of political resilience, recalling Tinubu’s battles with the Federal Government during his time as Lagos governor and his legal challenges over the withholding of state funds.

He also credited the Tinubu administration with implementing the Federal Government’s agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), securing local government financial autonomy and establishing regional development commissions.

On foreign relations and the economy, Atoyebi said the administration’s reforms had helped improve Nigeria’s standing with international institutions and credit rating agencies, including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, S&P, Moody’s and Fitch.

He also cited increased military cooperation with the United States and the visit of the United Kingdom’s royal family as examples of what he described as renewed international engagement.

Beyond economic and political reforms, Atoyebi said the “Spirit of Asiwaju” includes forgiveness and the ability to turn former political opponents into partners in nation-building.

He added that the philosophy promotes democracy, flexibility, power-sharing for development and the principle of backing political promises with concrete execution.

Atoyebi said Tinubu’s manifesto provides the framework for his administration’s policies, describing the implementation process as following the document “from line to line, paragraph to paragraph, page by page, policy by policy.”

He identified mentorship and legacy as other key components of the BAT-IG philosophy, likening the transfer of leadership capacity across generations to the biblical relationship between Elijah and Elisha.

The group plans to spread its philosophy across Nigeria’s 8,809 political wards, with a target of developing at least 100 dedicated individuals in each ward as standard-bearers of its ideology.

Atoyebi said the initiative is intended to promote what BAT-IG describes as visionary leadership, “absolute democracy,” forgiveness, flexibility and commitment to public service, with the broader aim of developing leaders capable of addressing governance failures across generations.

Atoyebi is the Convener of BAT Ideological Group, National Coordinator of Accountability and Policy Monitoring, a publisher at Unfiltered and Mining Reporting and political social worker.